Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1887-05-03
WHAT MORMONlsM IS.
A Moral Mosaic of Social Odds and
Ends.
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SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, April 20.

Especial Correspondence
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, April 20.
In a former letter told you what Nor
not growing and not in condition to outlast
fifty years, even If the government let it en-
tirely alone. I will now vary the proceed
ings little by telling you what it is. 1t is
moral mosaic, composite concern made up
socially of the odds and ends of humanity,
and doctrinally of all the old sophistries and
worn out isms of 2,OOO years. There is not a
volume extant giving the church statement
of faith but it is fatty contradicted in some
other volume or revelation Of equal authority
For instance, the Book of Mormon"
says that David and Solomon "com-
mitted abomination" in having many
wives and concubines, while the "Reve-
lation on Celestial Marriage" first pub
lished in 1852, but written out by Joe
Smiths clerk in 1S43, opens with these words:
Verify, thus saith the Lord, that,
whereas you have inquired wherein I, the
Lord, justified my servants Abraham, Isaac
and Jacob, as also David and Moses and Solo
mon my servants in the matter of their hay
ing many wives and concubines," etc. Here
are Isaac and Moses cassed with Solomon as
having many wives and concuhines, while in
fact they had none Of the latter and but one
at time of the former; while the revelation
says God Justified" David and Solomon in
that which the book calls an "abolnination.n
l observe, by the way, that the sons of Joe
Smith have lately had a little sputter at Kilt-
land, and the papers accept their statement
that their father was not polygamist. Well,
if he wasn't there are some mighty clever
liars among the old women of Utah; for
several of them solemnly swear that they
were ''sealed to him" in Nauvoo Mrs Orson
Pratt was life long witness that Joe Smith
preached the doctrine to her, and no one who
knew her would dispute her word
Mormonism began il New York as a
"Golden Bible" speculation. 1t is clearly
proved that at the start the schemers ex-
pected nothing but to make some money by
the sale of their miraculous book; but when
they found people ready for a new religion
they Went on to get up church. The next
phase was a real estate speculation, with
mill, store and bank at Kirkland; that
burst i'll 1887, and the principal men
fled to Missouri, "just leetle ahead Of the
sheriff" for the first 100 miles or So The
third stage was as fanatical brood Of pill
layers in Missouri, operating on the line of
this revelation:
"Behold it is said or written in my laws,
Thou shalt not get in debt to thine enemies;
but, behold, it is not said at any time that
the Lord should not take when He please and
iay as seemeth to Him good, wherefore, as
ye are the Lords servants ye are ON the
Lords errand"
This part Of the Lords business was so we'll
attended to that there was a small war, and
the Mornons were driven to Illinois, where
the fourth phase was developed: A specula-
ton in real estate and politics. This, with
minor rogueries, brought on the Illinois
war of 1S44-5, and the Mormons went to
Utah At that time this ceased to be an
American church. From 1S4s to 1878
ninety nine hundredths of the Mormon con-
verts were from foreign lands, so the apostles
and elders were able to establish a complete
theocracy. From 1850 to 1870 especially the
despotism was awful. Then the United
States took a hand. The Mormon courts
were deprived of their plenary jurisdiction
and the United States courts did the business,
q great gain to Gentiles and apostates. Then
the Mormon militia was disbanded, the peni-
put into the hands of the United
States marshal and many other things of like
nature; so all the administration was taken
from the church and its power to hurt re-
duced to triHing minimum. The theocracy
fast after losing the temporal
power, and now the theocrats are on the de-
fensive. All they ask is to be let alone-to
enjoy what little power is left them and to
take an extr wife occasionally when the
market is favorable And it is really pity,
from an aesthetic standpoint, that national
self respect will not permit our government
to allow them this last privilege, for the
women they bring here from Europe and
the backwoods of the south couldn't be
by polygamy. or course there is oc-
woman of refinement and beauty
imported by these saints, but how they get
one such can't imagine. The young folks
reared in Utah are often quite pretty. But
as to the new ones from Europe-oh, Venus,
give us relief / wish you could see the last
lot from Wales. There is one living on Third
South street, near where l board, that is
type of the worst-the homeliest women not
ieIul.ned that / ever saw. / will have
10 get another boarding house or hire her to
move And yet she is type but slightly
over the rest of that cargo. Now,
t is really pity to forbid such a woman as
hat to go into polygamy; for one-ninth of a
husband is more than she would get ia a
white country. But general rules will bear
lard on particular cases; the United States
has a character to maintain and must bring
heSe people to the line.
RpPyRT n RARrrky